04/23/2012 8:47 pm
The way I feed my children has changed and evolved immensely over the last seven years. One thing, however, has remained the same; I am always working towards balancing both healthy and fun foods that they can enjoy in moderation. I am constantly inspired by different styles of eating and I usually take bits and pieces from other people and then make choices for my own family. Right now I feel like I am in a really great place, feeding my family home cooked meals made of fresh ingredients. I am also providing lots of fruits and vegetables, and saving treats for special occasions (usually making them myself). This has come from the influence of other moms who make their food interesting and educational and help me to be better in the kitchen.
I am excited to introduce you to two women who provide me with many healthy eating and cooking ideas. They are mommies who are committed to what they eat and love to share it with anyone who will listen.
Lara at Love, Cook, Eat, Repeat loves to cook. Okay she doesn’t just love it, she is passionate about it. She makes cooking fun, interesting, and beautiful, and along the way inspires others to take a little extra time to make delicious and fresh meals for their own families. Her style and the way she writes about her food draws me in and helps me to understand that feeding your family is more than just following a recipe, it’s putting love into each step, addition, and creation that you make. She believes in the importance of healthy foods going into your children’s bodies because it will leave lasting imprints on their future eating habits. I am not a great cook, but Lara’s posts inspire me to be more creative and spontaneous in the choices that I make. She has three little ones and they eat so many different kinds of foods. In a whim she throws in beets, cauliflower, and other tempting ingredients. By introducing a variety of fresh and new foods to my table, my kids have become more adventurous and willing to try meals that they never would have liked before. I jump for joy every time she posts a new creation because I know it will be amazing and I like the way she talks about food. Her blog is like a good conversation instead of a site full of recipes.
Next up, Lisa from 100 Days of Real Food. I recently came across this blog and I visit it quite often for recipes, updates, and tips for eating real food. I have not done her challenge, but I am invested in cutting out processed foods and sugars and her blog is such an amazing resource for that. In fact, it’s jam packed full of information. I love the topics that she posts such as School Lunch Roundup and “Real Food” Condiments: Do They Exist? She inspires me to say no to junk food and to focus on putting as much good stuff in my kids’ bodies as I can. I may not be as strict as Lisa, but I love taking all of the information in and making it work for my family. I have noticed a huge difference in all of us.
The way that we cook and the food that we choose for our families is tremendously important and I am so grateful for all of the inspiration I have found. Who inspires the way your family eats?
04/11/2012 9:50 pm
I threw my daughter a tea party for her 4th birthday and I love how it turned out. Luckily I had the help of Sandie Williams at English Rose Teas. I had been to a few of her women’s tea parties and couldn’t wait until my daughter was old enough to have her own little girls party. Sandie provided all of the treats and the beautiful cake. She is an amazing baker. The best actually because everything is 100% homemade! We decided on the menu ahead of time and had so many fun things to eat like strawberry cream cheese sandwiches, nutella sandwiches, cake pops, chocolate covered strawberries, heart-shaped scones, mini cupcakes, and so much more. Sandie even brought some extra surprises that were not on our menu. You can’t see it in the pictures but we had two whole sections filled with lovely eats. She brought all of the linens, china, and serving ware. I also had a separate tea in another room for the moms so Sandie had a lot of tea to serve. Everything was perfect!
I made the decorations myself. From the tulle around the table, to the personalized place cards for the girls. A lot of love went into the details. I wanted to make sure my little girl and her sweet friends had a great day.
If you are looking for a fun party for a little girl at any age, a tea party is such a wonderful option, especially for those who want a girls-only party like my sassy daughter.
04/04/2012 10:49 am
Easter is only a few days away and there are so many cute and easy ideas that you can incorporate! Here are some of my favorites.
How adorable is this bunny shaped cookie cutter filled with M&M’s? You can also give your guests a little cellophane bag to take their candy and cookie cutter home. So fun! You can find this Easter idea and more at All About You.
Doesn’t this Easter Candy Bark look beautiful and delicious? Find the easy instructions on Gingerbread Bagels.
Pretty glitter eggs to decorate your table? You can find the tutorial on Martha Stewart.
If you celebrate Easter as more than just the Easter Bunny you will love these Resurrection Cookies. A great way to explain to your children the meaning of Easter. You can choose which steps to explain based on your own discretion. Either way they will be so surprised in the morning. Instructions can be found here.
Wouldn’t these sock bunnies look so cute in your child’s Easter basket? They only cost around $2.50 each to make if you already have buttons and stuffing. You can see the tutorial over at Lil Boo Blue. And if you want to see the ones I made, you can check them out at my blog Assorted Lovelies.
Sometimes simple really is better. If you need a last minute decoration for Easter, how great is this candle display made with jelly beans? I found this simple display at All About You.
Wishing you a wonderful Easter with your family. Please check back next week for an adorable little girl’s tea party!
03/09/2012 5:02 pm
I am so excited for this giveaway. I love having a little girl who plays with dolls. Piper adores her Little Mommy – Baby So New Doll. It’s a soft, cuddly newborn and Piper looks so cute taking it everywhere with her. Each doll comes with a bottle or pacifier, and a blanket. The blanket is Piper’s favorite part! The Baby So New dolls are for 18 months and up and you can choose Caucasian, African American or Hispanic.
Little Mommy dolls are designed to allow little girls to nurture and emulate the roll of today’s mom. There are also toddler dolls like the Sweet as Me doll and the Princess and the Potty doll. You can find them at most major toy retailers.
Lucky for us I have a Baby So New doll to give away! Yay!
To enter just leave a comment on this blog. So simple.
For extra entries you can like the following pages and leave an additional comment for each here.
- “like” the Little Mommy Facebook page
- “like” the OC Family Facebook page
- “like” my Facebook page
Giveaway ends Thursday, March 15th at 11:59pm PST. Winner will be chosen at random.
Good luck!
Congrats to Susan M. for winning! Thanks for entering!
03/02/2012 8:17 am
St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner! I tend to skip it because it’s right after the Valentine’s Day excitement and right before the anticipation of decorating for Easter. But this year I want to do a few easy things to make it special for my children. So after some Internet searching I found my favorite and oh-so simple St. Patrick’s Day ideas.
The Lucky Clover Craft is something sweet to do with your kids. It’s a great way to remind them of all of the things they have to be thankful and feel lucky for. Instructions can be found on the Lisa Storms blog.
Here is a fun and easy breakfast for your little ones. Who doesn’t love Lucky Charms? Read more about a lucky breakfast at Thoughtfully Simple.
Don’t these rainbow fruit skewers look delicious? Every child will want to eat one. You could also use strawberries or green grapes and maybe put a marshmallow on the end to represent a cloud. Go to Quick Dish to see these fruit skewers and some adorable rainbow pancakes.
How cute are these rainbow pots? Just put colored licorice and rolos in a mason jar. Love them. See the tutorial over at JCasa Handmade.
Easy and healthy snack from the fabulous Martha Stewart. I think any kid would give these a try with a favorite dip.
A perfect and simple garland decoration. Just buy plain green construction paper and some cute green scrapbook prints and off you go. Remember making these in elementary school? You can see more from this “Green Day” party at Hostess Blog.
Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day and leave a comment with your favorite finds.
02/20/2012 4:54 pm
I am always trying to find the right class or activity for my kids. I want to put them in something that is not just fun, but where they can learn and thrive. But, I find that I am quick to buy the latest Groupon or special deal and we get stuck in a class that turns out to be just okay. I always feel disappointed.
Then I discovered Mindful Octopus. It’s something special and completely unique. I took my three year old daughter to a trial class and not only did she love it, but I loved it. Mindful Octopus is located in Laguna Beach and is a yoga program for kids. It’s more than just yoga though; it’s storytelling, learning mindfulness, and art all in one. Oh, and did I mention it’s at an art studio, how cool is that?
“Mindful Octopus is a pioneering, storytelling yoga program for kids. We specialize in children and are certified to introduce the practice of yoga and meditation through the ancient art of storytelling. We plant the seeds of health, imagination, and mindfulness through story, yoga, and art, while having fun!
Founded by a Mom, the Mindful Octopus mission is to bring peace, love, and happiness to kids, through a modern practice of story, yoga, and art.”
If you want to try something different and see how special the class is, I highly recommend it. Samantha, the owner and teacher, is beyond wonderful and is obviously passionate about what she does. She teaches three different age groups starting at 3-years-old all the way up to 13-years-old.
Did I mention your first class is free?
Maybe I will see you there!
www.mindfuloctopus.com
AR4T gallery in Laguna Beach, located at 210 North Coast Hwy.
02/06/2012 10:04 pm
Do you remember this post? One of the things I was most looking forward to this year was taking my kids to the Discovery Science Center for the first time. I am happy to report that we went to the opening of the Dora & Diego Let’s Explore exhibit and we had a great time!
My kids had fun wandering all of the different Dora & Diego adventures and when we were done we explored the rest of the center. It was such a rewarding day and there was something unique and exciting for each member of the family. In fact, I am thinking of becoming a member since the membership price is so good.
I am thrilled that I can check off a wish on my to-do list for this year.
The Dora & Diego exhibit runs until May 6th and the Star Wars exhibit until April 15th (you will need to pay an extra exhibit fee).
Discovery Science Center
2500 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92705
714-542-2823
www.discoverycube.org
01/31/2012 1:42 pm
A few weekends ago I went to lunch with a darling friend and some lovely ladies to celebrate her birthday. She picked a new bakery she had heard about and I was pretty excited to go. I was in heaven as soon as I walked through the door. We all were.
Introducing The Queen’s Bakery in Costa Mesa.
This little bakery is not only full of delicious sweets, but you will fall in love instantly with the decor. Who wouldn’t want to go there for a treat, lunch, or to throw a party? My panini was delicious, but what really won me over was the amazing cupcake I devoured and the great service provided that day by one of the owners.
I loved this new find so much that I took a trip back a few days later with my kids to interview the owners and to try some other cupcake flavors. I am now kicking myself for not trying one of their homemade ding dongs!
1. Tell me a little bit about your original vision for the bakery?
We just wanted a place that would be fun, feminine and kitschy.
2. What was your inspiration for the decor?
We wanted you to feel like you walked into Tim Burton’s take on a royal dining hall, and I think we did just that.
3. Tell me what makes your food and desserts special?
We like to use natural ingredients in here. We make everything from scratch, using cane sugar, non-genetically modified flour, and pure butter. We make all of our dressings. We use hormone-free chicken and dairy products. If I wouldn’t serve it to my kids, I can’t serve it to anyone else in good conscience.
4. What makes your cupcakes so darn good? I fell in love with the Strawberry Vanilla and the Coconut cupcakes?
They probably taste special because we use real butter in the cupcake and the icing.
If you want a fun little outing, head over to The Queens Bakery. I know I will be back with my kids, my mom, and probably some more girlfriends in the near future. I have so many more flavors to try!
The Queen’s Bakery
2950 Grace Lane, Suite A
Costa Mesa, California 92626
http://queensbakerycafe.com
01/23/2012 11:22 am
Last week I had one of those kick-in-the-stomach moments as a mother. My six year old son told me (with tears) that he wasn’t spending enough time with me and that he missed me. My heart cried. Our busy life of long school days, rushing to get homework done, making dinner, soccer games, clubs, and practices had taken its toll, and I didn’t even know it. He was right; we weren’t spending quality time anymore. I was caught up in a bustling life with three kids.
I knew right away that a mother-son date was needed. But how? Money is tight and time is limited. And how do you find alone time for all of your children? I think we figured it out.
Friday night, right after dinner, my son and I went on a dessert date. I let him choose our destination and it turns out he had always wanted to try a banana split from Baskin Robbins. Who knew? We ordered that banana split piled high and with two spoons. We ate and we talked. He was in heaven. We had the best (and funniest) conversations without sibling distractions or somewhere else to go. After we finished our dessert we walked around a nearby store, he held my hand, and we had fun! In total, we were gone about an hour, long enough for quality time and short enough that it was not a big production or difficult to do. I loved every minute of it.
In fact, it worked out so perfectly that…
On Saturday night daddy took our lovely three year old out for their own dessert date. She chose a yummy cupcake and then they walked around for a bit. She arrived home with a balloon and a huge smile.
See, simple can still be special. And we found a way that does not require a lot of money or a huge time commitment. The best part is that we can do them more often. Pure happiness.
This gave me an idea. My hubby and I never get to go out so I was inspired to just simplify a date night, instead of just wishing for one. After the kids went to bed we decided to do some sort of project or craft. Yes, it felt pretty corny, but it turned out to be so much fun. It was all my husband’s idea to make caramel apples.
Life can be hectic with young children, but this week because of my sweet boy’s heart, I learned that making even the simplest times special has such a big impact. A little alone time with those you love is more important than anything on your calendar. But, it does not have to be complicated… just have fun! The less complicated it is, the more often you can do it. What a great weekend for everyone!
01/14/2012 4:34 pm
I love a good project. One of my goals this year is to expand my horizons and to build more, refurnish a little, and to take on a bunch of new projects. Here are some projects that I have already completed and some that I am looking forward to starting.
We copied this Build-your-own Toddler Bed Tutorial from Design Mom back in 2009. It was so easy and we were really happy with the outcome. In fact, we just brought it out for baby #3, who turned two last month. We also used a white crib comforter from Ikea to match.
After seeing so many lovely photos of picture walls, I made my own. I found the largest wall in our room and filled it with black frames. I spaced them imperfectly and then filled them with black and white photos, colored photos, and drawings. No class pictures here. I also added a wooden E to the mix. I think I am going to spray paint the E soon to add some more color. I just love our picture wall.
I am dying to make this Wooden Doormat. The tutorial is from Martha Stewart. I originally found this image on Pinterest with the doormat painted. I am definitely going to paint mine to match. I can’t wait!
I love this How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden tutorial. What a great idea for a porch, or a separate garden for your children to be in charge of watering. I love reusing things that get trashed like a simple pallet. I am so excited to make this a part of our springtime planting.
I am thrilled to have so many options of great things to make, create and decorate, and I hope my love for them continues to grow. What types of projects are you looking forward to this year?
